Hyatt Regency Kyoto

We recently had a great 1-night stay at the hotel. Review with photos is on our website. Text is below:

We arrived in Kyoto on the Nozomi Shinkansen from Tokyo at around midday. One of the many advantages of staying at the Hyatt in Kyoto is that a taxi is provided free of charge from the station if you book on their website. After asking another taxi driver, we were directed to the correct company and a taxi was arranged for us. For those of you who haven't been to Japan, you may be surprised by the seat coverings and the white gloves the taxi drivers wear. Service in Japan is very good, even in a taxi office - as our taxi drew away the female greeter stood in the middle of the road so that she could bow to us as we left!

On arrival at the hotel, our bags were swiftly taken by the bellhop and we were shown to checkin. It was impressive to be proactively asked whether we would rather have the diamond amenity of fruit and water or the 1000 bonus points (we took the points). Fruit in Japan is often very expensive, so this is a better amenity than it may sound at first. However, perhaps this could be improved by providing a different beverage than water (water is provided in room anyway).

King Room

Although we were a little disappointed that we did not receive an upgrade courtesy of our diamond status (the hotel was fully booked during our visit), the standard room assigned to us was perfectly suitable for a 1 night stay. On entering the room, there was plenty of wardrobe space and a desk big enough to work at. The king bed was comfortable and the air-conditioning was very effective.

The highlight of the room was the bathroom, which had a sink area large enough to unload all our toiletries. WC was the usual spectacular hi-tech Japanese affair and in a separate cubicle. The bath and shower were in a separate wet-room and were stocked with L'Occitane toiletries. The standard rooms have a standard bath tub in them - we look forward to returning and trying out the cypress tub in some of the superior room types.

Dining

In addition to the complementary taxi from the station, the Hyatt in Kyoto was also offering a voucher for 3000 yen for booking direct. This voucher could be used an unlimited number of times during the stay on spa treatments, drinks from the bar or dinner (as long as the bill was over 3,000 Yen each time). For us, the sushi bar in Touzan was the highlight and we strongly recommend eating there if you visit the hotel. We sat at the counter for lunch and watched the master Mr Kushida with wonder. The fish was melt-in-the-mouth fresh and the restaurant managed to get us in-and-out in the requested 30 minutes. In fact, we enjoyed the sushi so much we had to go back for dinner! Before and after dinner we enjoyed a drink in the bar utilising the 3000 yen voucher each time. This was a great initiative by the hotel as we used the bar and restaurant (which we would not usually do), and the meals were very good value.

Breakfast the next morning was also very good. As diamond members of Hyatt Gold Passport, we were allowed to order anything from the menu. I had the Japanese breakfast and fresh fruit whereas my husband ate a Western-style breakfast from the buffet. Both were fresh, tasty and prepared with exquisite care.

At our meeting with Mr Yokoyama, the General Manager, we learnt that the hotel has its own organic vegetable farm and buys all its fish from North Kyoto. Everything certainly tasted fresh! In addition to Japanese dining, the hotel offers an Italian restaurant and a Western Grill.

Spa and Leisure

Although we didn't have time to use the leisure facilities, we did have time for a quick look. The spa is somewhat hidden from the main hotel past the banqueting areas, so feels quite cocoon-like. Again, the hotel utilises local products, choosing the organic Kyoto product line Chidoriya (literally means 'little bird shop'). The spa has 10 treatment rooms, including a couple's room complete with jacuzzi. The gym was well equipped with Life Fitness machines and we were impressed that a blood pressure monitor was available to use. Unfortunately, the hotel does not have a swimming pool or general use hot-tub. However there is a steam room and sauna available.

One interesting feature of the hotel is the chapel, catering mainly to the local market. If you stay at the weekend during summer, don't be surprised to see a Japanese woman in a beautiful wedding kimono. We loved the 2 gardens in the hotel: the stone garden representing the World with stones raked to resemble water and stones representing mountains, and the water garden with a waterfall, cherry and maple trees and koi carp. Both were wonderfully peaceful areas to relax and reflect.

Kyoto itself is an interesting city to visit with plenty to see. The Good Samaritan Club, an amazing organisation made up of local university students, offers free tours of the city by students who want to improve their English. We strongly recommend you see the city with a local, and the friendly, warm and generous students we encountered were a joy to be with. The Hyatt Regency Kyoto is surely one of the jewels in the Hyatt crown. Although it is classed as a resort hotel and thus certain diamond benefits cannot be utilised (suite upgrades, guaranteed late checkout), this did not detract from our enjoyment of the stay. The hotel is well managed and all staff seemed proud to be doing their job. Cosmetic renovations are planned in the near future, but the hotel did not feel tired. Our stay was great value for money when taking the 3000 yen voucher and taxi journey into account, especially for Japan. The food was wonderful and we can't wait to return. In fact, I enjoyed our stay here more than at the famed Park Hyatt Tokyo, which was more than double the price. There was nothing wrong with the hotel made famous by Lost in Translation, but the service in Kyoto was warmer and felt more genuine. We can't wait to return - if only Japan was closer to Europe...

When I used to live in Japan, my wife and I took frequent trips to kyoto and most times we stayed at the hyatt. I loved the decor of the rooms but like you, they wouldn't upgrade me either. I speak fluent Japanese and I tried to convince them but they were having none of it.

All that aside, I'd go back there in a heartbeat. It just has such a very good vibe to the hotel.

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